Miyamoto Preaches Patience With Wii U

Poor Wii U. Life for the fledgling system has been rough since its release last November and despite some small victories, it’s struggling to keep up in the console game. It might be the fact that the Wii U’s technology is lagging terribly behind its upcoming competition or it could be its minuscule library of games — it could even be the fact that several major franchises have canceled development for the console.

Couple this with a personal recommendation from respected gaming analyst Michael Pachter that Nintendo should stop making consoles and a lost patent infringement case that cost the company $30.2 million, and it’s safe to say that things have been just… just awful for Nintendo.

Is there hope for the console? Perhaps. Though it may just be a mere twinkle in eye of gaming legend Shigeru Miyamoto, who is vehemently positive that things will turn around and is encouraging gamers to stick by the console.

In an interview with CNN, Miyamoto suggests that the play style of the Wii U is mostly to blame for the console’s troubles, citing the GamePad controller and the ability to work with two screens. Are gamers and developers not interested in the Wii U because two screens is just too darn hard a concept to grasp? Miyamoto seems to think so. He refers to early Nintendo DS reception saying:

“There was a period when we first released the Nintendo DS that people would say there’s no way people can look at two screens at once. I almost feel like, as people get more familiar with Wii U and these touchscreen interfaces, that there is going to come a point where they feel like ‘I can’t do everything I want to do if I don’t have a second screen.”

This may be oversimplifying, possibly missing the actual issues of the platform, as interacting with multiple screens at once is nothing new. Mobile devices have been integrating with consoles and other hardware for a while now, such as using an iPhone as a remote and browser for YouTube on the PlayStation 3. The Wii U just takes things a step forward by utilizing their GamePad as an all-in-one touchscreen remote for entertainment applications like Netflix and Hulu, which makes searches and navigation much easier than many other devices. Yet some prefer to stick with what they already have and do not want to invest in another console aspiring to be another entertainment hub.

Miyamoto knows that the first step is to improve the console itself saying, “Our immediate objective over the next few months is to improve the Wii U system and make it a little more stable, a little bit more convenient to use from a system standpoint.” He goes on to explain that Miiverse will be a continuing effort to build a community that is a “warm and welcoming place for people.”

18 Comments

They just need to make an epic Mario game. They used to be amazingly violent with new villains and were visually dynamic. Like Yoshi’s Island and Mario 3 and sorts. I don’t know…But. Don’t hate the man in red. He helped make a gamer in all of us at one point.

So on the DS the screen and the 2nd screen/interface are just centimeters apart, correct? And you look at both because they are attached to one another.

Now on the Wii U; do you hold the controller in your lap like any other controller or in front of your face?

I’m sorry Big N but the second screen was the solution to a problem that didn’t exist — even your own in house developers have relegated it to inventory and maps.

What WAS the problem? Gamers weren’t able to check maps or inventory without diverting the screen? How is the GamePad better by dividing your limited visual acuity between a controller and your TV? Are we somehow magically able to see both simultaneously?

Wait I think I get his DS analogy now, maybe we’re supposed to attach the Wii U GamePad to our TV’s! Whoohoo giant DS’s for everyone!

Whenever the new Smash Bros. and Zelda games are released I will definitely be picking up a Wii U. Until then, I’m not forking out the cash. The dual screen issue really isn’t the problem for me. It’s the lack of interesting games.

“Nintendo is truly optimistic about the possibilities of the Wii U. However, we need fans to be patient. As with every other console we have made, the value of our console will not be fully apparent until we have released our first party developer titles that do not involve a plumber hero. It is important to remember that the best gaming experiences on our consoles do not come from third party developers, they come from Nintendo because only we truly understand how to harness our systems.

Well, if they would STOP putting all the good games on the 3DS and actually make the WiiU more revolutionary than the wii (Really why did it have to look like the wii to begin with? Why couldn’t it actually be a NEW console?).

But seriously. Paper Mario, Kingdom Hearts, Resident Evil Revelations, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, and quite a bit of others. Like seriously…THE WII U HAS NOTHING TO OFFER!!! The only interesting is that new “Yoshi Story Yarn” game that is locked up under tight.

It’s absurdly easy not to believe him. No offense to Miyamoto but he has an incredible amount of faith in the Wii U. Sadly and unfortunately the rest of the industry doesn’t. Each time I’ve read something on him he continues to miss the point that the system needs a larger library.

Tell me Game rant when you post do you even try to get all of the facts or do you just post half truths coupled with half of the story you people have got to be the most stupid game news site on the web at this point monkeys could do a better job.

after the PS4 and xbox next come out, people will want the Wii-U. Games for it will still feel like games and not expensive movies they will spend a majority of the time watching as opposed to playing as most developers will make. with great graphical power comes less responsability. and longer cut scenes.

The Wii U can turn things around (just as the 3DS has), but it will require NEW software, not just rehashes and rereleases. Nintendo seems aware enough of the challenge against them, so I wouldn’t count them out just yet. Release a new 3D Mario game with new gameplay mechanics (a la Mario Galaxy on the Wii) and the Wii U could take off (especially if it’s accompanied by a price drop). With Nintendo’s first-party software development, it’s hard to ever really count them out, they just really need to concentrate on something new.

The games look okay, but, nothing like what’s coming for PS4. If i’m spending money I want new experiences. I personally love the integrated second screen, but, i can’t buy a second one! Also, the hardware is weak. It’s an HD Wii. WII hardware was underutilized and making an HD Wii doesn’t do much for my confidence. PS4 struck a nerve with it’s features, so, sadly, Nintendo played it’s cards wrong, bring it to PS4.